A Helping Hand
by cactusx33
Summary: Times are hard for George, Annie and Mitchell. Herrick is dead. They are being universally hunted for their actions, and face severe danger in the form of the Volturi. Mitchell's only hope is a coven he used to know. One problem-the Cullens hate him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Neither Being Human or Twilight are owned by me. This is just a little project I thought would be fun!**

**I haven't read much of the Twilight books, only seen the movies, so my understanding is based on that. **

**This is set after the first chapter of the Twilight saga and the first series of Being Human, and a few weeks before the second segment for both. I originally started the story then (instead of ages later) but it got lost with my old computer so thought I'd redo now.**

**Chapter 1**

_I don't think you've thought this through._

George let out a whimper in bed. The dream was there again. Herrick stood in front of him, his features pale and intense. He was frightened. It showed on his face. But not as frightened as George.

_You touch me, you cross a line. Once you do that, there's no going back. Believe me, I know._

Then the dream became a mess of claws and teeth. Sometimes, before he lost himself, he'd see Mitchell and Annie standing by his side. Trying to stop him. This time, the dream went all the way through to its grim conclusion. There was Herrick again, a look of triumph now on his face. His eyes were piercing.

_Come on._

Those eyes. Those horrible eyes.

_Do it!_

_Come on, you fucking freak!_

_Do it!_

With a start, George awoke. He was drenched in sweat and felt terrible. Next to him, Nina stirred but did not wake up. He knew she dreamt as well; nightmares of him in that room, transforming into a beast she'd had no idea existed before. But he envied her-it may be a stretch to come to terms with something you thought of only as a myth, but it was nothing compared to coming to terms with the fact that you killed someone. Herrick had been a danger. A danger to Mitchell and George, and to Annie, and possibly the whole world. A malignant tumour that needed removing. So why was his death haunting George so much?

_Because you embraced the beast, George, _came the response. _The werewolf was you that night. Like never before. _He wiped the sweat from his forehead and settled back down into bed. It was coming up to four in the morning.

In the next room, Mitchell did not even try to sleep. He was sat up in bed, the lights turned on. He was thinking. He had thought a lot since that terrible day; the worst of the terror was over, but he had to think about the future.

Sooner than he would be ready for, other vampires would come for him. He wasn't worried about the Bristol coven; the remaining members had fallen underground. They feared him and, especially now, feared George. But the world was pretty big, and a werewolf killing a vampire, even a psychotic tyrant, would be avenged.

Out of the deepest corners of his mind, something surfaced. A memory he hadn't brought up in so many years. Whether he went to London, Manchester or Glasgow the vampires there would happily tear him apart. He had no doubt Herrick's death had already circulated around the UK from the survivors of his coven. If he was really unlucky, it may have reached Italy. Any coven he appealed to for help would know of what had happened and he would be killed.

Except one. He took his mobile from the bedside table and dialled a number from memory. Christian Durvik had been one of Herrick's vampires in Bristol, but had moved to Manchester and defected. He'd been a good friend to Mitchell in the past, and he'd spoken to him a few times. He was a useful friend to have.

"Hello?" the voice on the other side of the phone did not sound tired, like humans would if you called them at four in the morning. Mitchell was one of the few diurnal vampires, and it was a pattern set by a work schedule and flatmates who didn't sleep in the day.

"Hello, Christian."

The voice was silent for a few moments, but Mitchell could hear heavy breathing on the other side. He waited patiently.

"Is that you, John?"

"It's me. How are you doing?"

"What are you calling here for, John?" The voice was suddenly panicked. "Things have been _said _over here. That the one that killed Herrick was a fucking Lyco, and you told him to do it? That you're taking over in Bristol?"

"That's not true," Mitchell replied. "But I know I'm in trouble. You don't have to tell me that."

Christian was virtually whispering, as if even talking to him was dangerous. Actually, Mitchell mused, it probably was. "If you're asking if I can get Manchester to help you, I can't. Marsden said he'd tear your throat out personally if he saw you again."

"He _hated _Herrick," Mitchell said with a contemptuous snarl.

"Stop being so naïve. Of course Marsden hated Herrick. The same as Ridgeworth down in London. The same as, dare I say it, the big cheeses down in Volterra. He was a fascist and a bully boy. But you killing him, for whatever reason you did it, is a serious break in the chain of command. And if it's true that it was a werewolf that you're working with, then it's an even bigger risk. You _know _that, John, so stop being a prick."

_We don't work together. We're friends. _The words were almost out of his mouth, but he decided against them. It would be futile to try to explain about George to a vampire that was still drinking, hunting and werewolf-hating.

"I know the drill," he instead said bitterly. "I'm not looking to come to Manchester. I just hoped you could give me some information."

A sigh from the other line. "What do you need?"

"The Olympia coven." Mitchell intentionally left a pause. "Where are they now? The last I heard they were in Alaska, but that was years ago. I was thinking…maybe they could help me."

He heard Christian laughing. "The _Cullens? _They hate you more than anyone!"

"That's true. But at least I'll get a fair hearing. Everyone else will kill me on sight."

Christian sighed. "I guess. Alright John, for you. But we never spoke."

"Agreed"

"They're not in Alaska anymore," Christian said, whispering even more. "They're in Washington is what I heard. For the first time in a hundred years, or thereabouts. It's a little town called Forks. Now, I don't know their address, but-"

"But it won't be difficult to find them," Mitchell said with a nod. "Thanks, Christian."

He would leave as soon as he could.

* * *

When I eventually caught up with Alice Cullen, she looked troubled. She was sitting on a wall outside the cafeteria. The rest of the Cullens were not with her, something that puzzled me. It was a typical afternoon in the Pacific Northwest; the skies were overcast and cloudy, and there was a light rainfall.

Alice looking troubled meant only one thing; that she had seen something that she didn't want to see. Something bad. I stayed silent for a moment, then decided to speak.

"Hey." I put a hand on Alice's shoulder. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey." Alice smiled lightly. "It's okay, it's just, someone we…knew has died."

I moved to hug her. "I'm sorry."

Alice shook her head. "No, that was weeks ago. And that was a good thing. But now…someone's coming. Someone I haven't seen in a long time."

"What for?"

"I can't see that," Alice replied with a shrug. "He's a vampire. A different type to us. One I can't read well. But he's coming. And Bella, maybe it's best if you get out of town. At least for a while."

"No," I said shortly. "There's no point in me being with Edward, and the rest of you, if you have to hide me all the time. Besides, especially if it's one guy, can't be any worse than James, right?"

"Right," said Alice unenthusiastically, thinking about the last time she saw John Mitchell.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Annie asked Mitchell concernedly as she watched her friend hurriedly pack a suitcase. It was now five in the morning. She rarely slept these days, especially after everything that had happened. That was one of the positives of being a ghost; she could stay up all night worrying without lack of sleep becoming a problem.

"I just need to go on a trip," said Mitchell, trying his best not to sound dismissive. "I've got some business to sort out."

"What business?" asked George, coming down the stairs. _He's been worrying as well, _Annie thought, _although with him it's more noticeable. _George looked exhausted. She could only wonder what it felt like to be a killer. "Mitchell, where are you going?"

"I just have to take care of something," Mitchell replied. "If I can get it sorted, we might not have to worry about…you know. At least for a while.

"You _can _open up, you know," said Annie. "At least to George. He deserves to know, seeing as he was the one that-"

"...Killed someone," Said George, cutting in. "Yes. Thank you for reminding me."

"Oh, you know I don't mean it like that," said Annie. "Anyway, Mitchell, George might give up easy but I won't. I'll never give up unless you tell me what's going on." She grinned. "Come on, Mitchell. Come on. Come on. Come on!"

"Okay!" Mitchell had to stifle a grin of his own. "Okay. Now, there's this big coven in Italy. A coven just like the operation Herrick ran in Bristol, but much bigger. The Volturi. They're a bit like…they're the UN of the vampire world. They control everything."

"And that's who you're going to see?" asked George.

Mitchell laughed, remembering how little he'd told George of his world. "No, mate. If I went to the Volturi, they'd kill me. Then they'd find out where we live and kill both of you. They're dangerous."

"So where are we going?"

"_We?" _Mitchell shook his head. "Just me. _I'll _be going alone. This is vampire business. The only way the Volturi, and any other big covens, would leave me alone is if someone vouched for me. Who said that Herrick was dangerous and needed to be put down, blah blah blah."

"And who'll do that?"

"There's one coven. They're not like the rest. They're like me, in a way, trying to give up blood. But they're…different in a few ways. They hate my guts, but they'll give me a fair hearing."

"Well, where are they? Up north? Scotland? Wales?"

"A little bit further than that," said Mitchell, hesitantly. "They're actually American."

George laughed bitterly. "You have to cross an ocean to find someone who doesn't want to kill you?" He shook his head. "If I could take it all back, I would. Honestly, Mitchell-"

"You did nothing wrong, George," said Mitchell tenderly. He pointed to the window. "You see Bristol out there? Yeah? Killing Herrick was the best thing you could have done for that city. They should put a bloody _statue _of you up. But good or bad, this is just something I have to do."

"Something _we _have to do," said Annie. "We're coming with you. I've always wanted to go to America. Where are they in the States?"

"The Pacific Northwest. Washington. And that's besides the point, because you're definitely not coming."

Annie groaned. "George?"

George looked sheepish. "I don't know…more vampires? And can we take that sort of time off from the hospital?"

"I'm using the last of my annual leave," Mitchell replied, convincingly. "It's pointless for you to as well. Save it for something _fun. _Go biking or something."

"Do I look like someone who goes biking?" George snorted. "Actually, Mitchell, if this is all connected to something I did, I'd like to come along as well. Moral support."

Mitchell sighed. "Fine. Okay, you win. George, I'm booking airline tickets in a few days so we can buy at the same time. Annie, since no one seems able to see you at the moment, you don't need one. George, are you bringing Nina?"

George thought for a moment. "Nah. This is too new to her. I don't want to overwhelm her with this."

"Overwhelm me with what?" asked Nina, coming down the stairs and yawning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick note: Okay, so it's a bit Mary Sue to have Mitchell immune to virtually all of the Cullen abilities, but it's pretty important.**

The Cullens stood around in the kitchen, the windows overlooking the woods outside. It was a pleasant house, a good house. If they moved from Forks, as they inevitably would after graduation, they would miss this place.

I sat in the corner by the doors to the veranda. I was silent; I had nothing to contribute to coven business. Edward sat next to me and held my hand.

"So there's no indication of what John Mitchell is coming here for?" asked Carlisle, concernedly.

Alice shook her head. "He was always difficult to read, even at his most emotional moments. It's got something to do with the death of William Herrick, but I couldn't read his decision."

"Why don't we kill him?" asked Rosalie. "Or lead him to the territory of the wolves."

"Then we're no better than him," said Edward. "Mitchell is scum. Murder is something _he _would do. If we resort to it as well…"

"I know," said Carlisle. "But we chose not to kill him the last time. We could have then and we can now. Even without Emmett and Jasper."

"Why don't we see what he wants?" said Esme. "There's not a lot he can do if we're all together. If he's here to threaten us again, let him try."

An hour later, Alice drove me back home. There had been a dark cloud over the night; everyone had been worried about their impending visit. I had barely spoken a word all night; usually I could talk freely with the Cullens, but this seemed to be almost as drastic as the situation with James.

"What did this guy do, anyway?" I finally asked, to break the silence.

"Do you remember I said someone we knew died?" said Alice.

"Yeah."

"That was William Herrick. He's a vampire…well, a different type to us. He died a few days ago. He was the leader of a coven in Britain. A city called Bristol. John Mitchell was one of his disciples. His right hand man. The two of them were vicious. They were killers. They even killed vampires. They were evil."

I nodded. I hadn't seen any _evil _vampires yet.

"Years and years ago, this Herrick had a dream. He wanted vampires to rise up and take the world from the humans. Half turned, half kept on as cattle. He was going to take his plan to the Volturi, and-"

"The who?"

"The Volturi…Edward will explain about them later. So, he wanted to bring this plan to the leaders of the vampires. Once the plan got green flagged, the fighting would start. He only had one problem."

"What was that?"

"Carlisle," said Alice with admiration. "He was close to the Volturi and still had their ear. Herrick knew the Olympia coven would oppose any plans to conquer the humans. So he sent his goons to us in Wisconsin to try to…convince us that his plans were the right way to go."

"And Mitchell?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. There was two of them. Mitchell, and another lackey…Steve?" She snapped her fingers. "Seth! Yeah, Seth. They came out to 'speak to' us. Seth? He was nothing. He tried to intimidate us, failed, and gave up. Mitchell was different."

She arrived at Charlie's house and parked up. "Mitchell wouldn't take no for an answer. He got violent. He tried to shove us around, and we had to act. In the end, he tried to kidnap Rosalie. Use her as blackmail. We only barely managed to stop him."

* * *

"And that's why they hate me," said Mitchell. He had told the story in hushed tones on the Continental Airlines flight from Bristol to Seattle. They'd needed to reroute in Amsterdam, and were currently on the second leg of the flight.

"You were a bit of a prick back in those days, then?" said Annie, eyebrows raised.

"You had the blackest heart of us all," mimicked Mitchell. "That was what Mitchell used to say to me. I guess he was right."

"That was a long time ago, mate," said George. "Once they talk to you, they'll realise you've changed."

"I hope so, George," said Mitchell, softly. "Because I don't know _what _we'll do if not."

"What are these vampires like?" asked Annie, who was sitting in the aisle seat. Luckily, the person who had bought the aisle seat had been a no show or she would have had to sit in the aisle.

"They're different than the ones you know," said Mitchell. "They're faster than us. Much faster. They can jump higher, as well. They drink animal blood, and in the sun they-"

"Dissolve?" George questioned as Mitchell hesitated.

"No, they…well, you'll see when you get there."

"And they drink animal blood? Why don't you do that?"

"Different types of vampires," explained Mitchell. "They _have _to drink something. Us, blood is more like an addiction. If we drank animal blood, we'd have to go back to humans."

"Like having a glass of wine after rehab? Soon you've drunk a whole bottle of scotch?" said Annie.

"Pretty much, yeah." Mitchell reached under his seat and grabbed a pillow. "You can ask them _any _questions you want, when you see them. Right now, I'm going to get some sleep."

"Leave the movie on," said Annie, knowing it would look suspicious if her seat TV was switched on. Every time an air stewardess walked past, she dropped her headphones in Mitchell's lap.

* * *

Edward and I barely exchanged a word as he drove me back from school.

Something was troubling him. I could tell that without too much guesswork. He'd brooded for most of the day; of course, he did this anyway, but I could sense the tension. Alice was worse. She continually looked around, as if expecting to be ambushed from every corridor.

"What's up?" I finally asked, if only to break the tension.

"I'm not sure," came the impassive response. "I'm sure it's nothing."

I thought about pressing the issue, but decided against it. Silence reined in the car for a few moments. The road was wet; it had been raining that morning, but had ceased now. The sun was threatening to break through the impenetrable layer of clouds. Was _that _why Edward was on edge? I doubted it; none of the Cullens had been affected by the chance of sunlight before.

Without warning, Edward stopped. He broke with such a force that I was immediately glad I had worn a seatbelt. For roughly a minute, Edward did not move or get out of the car.

"What's going on?" I asked. I was suddenly nervous.

"It's okay," said Edward. Signalling for me to stay in the car, he got out himself, and took a few steps forward. I squinted to try to see the source of his concern, but all I saw on either side of the road were tall trees and bushes.

Then I saw him. The dark figure merely stood on the side of the road, contemplating the traffic that drove past. He wore black all over, including a large leather jacket. His hair was long and he had a focused, ominous face. He noticed Edward as he walked towards him and turned around slowly, his hands slowly raised in a gesture of peace.

Instinctively, I got out of the car. Whoever this man was, he had agitated Edward, who was coming towards him at some speed. I jogged forward, my curious side wanting to know exactly who he was.

"You were told not to come here!"

Edward's voice was raised. I had not seen him this stressed since…since James.

"Edward, hi!"

"You were _told not to come here, _Mitchell!"

_Mitchell. _John Mitchell. That was the name I had heard last week, when the Cullens were talking about their visitor! The one that had tried to kidnap Rosalie. He didn't _look _like a vampire; his skin wasn't pale. But there was something tormented about him, and it matched Edward to a T.

"What's going on?" I repeated, moving quickly in front of Edward as if to stop him springing at the man.

"Bella, get back in the car," said Edward, forcefully. "I'll be right with you."

"Look, Edward, I'm not here to fight," said the man. He had a strange accent about him; hadn't Alice said he was from England? Bristol? But the accent was more recognisable than that. It was Irish. Mitchell was definitely Irish. He looked at me briefly, then back at Edward questioningly.

"I'm not here to fight," Mitchell repeated. He stepped forward and Edward moved to do also, but I held him back.

"Why did you come here?" Edward demanded. His eyes were blazing.

"To talk. I wanted to ask you a favour. I don't mean you any harm."

Edward tightened up. "You can explain that to my family. Myself, I'd destroy you."

"I know," said Mitchell. "Thanks, Edward."

"Get in," said Edward, gesturing to his car. "If this is some sort of ploy, you'll regret it. If I could read your mind…"

"I know. Can we talk?"

The three of us walked awkwardly towards the car. Mitchell, finally noticing me, smiled and waved a hand as a greeting. Edward only introduced us grudgingly. Mitchell sat in the back. He was quiet during the drive back, only speaking when he saw a sign into town.

"Mind if we take a detour? I've got some friends checking into a motel downtown."

Edward's voice was contemptuous. "Reinforcements?"

"I told you, I'm not here to fight," said Mitchell. "Some friends came out with me. I told them to go straight to the motel in case things got…"

"-Violent?"

"Yeah." Mitchell nodded. "They're got a rent-a-car but they don't know where I'll be."

Edward nodded, and then made a turn. He drove towards the main Forks town centre, but stopped at a roadside motel when Mitchell indicated. He nodded his thanks.

"I'll just be a minute. Thanks, Edward." He headed out of the car, checked a small slip of paper, and headed up the motel stairs into one of the rooms.

"It's okay," I tried to say, comfortingly. "I don't think he's going to pull anything."

"I know him better than you do, Bella," said Edward, coolly. "Don't trust him."

When Mitchell came out of the room, there was a man following him. He had short hair, glasses, and looked nerdy. He was a direct contrast to the dark, broody Mitchell; a neurotic, quiet guy with something hidden about him.

Edward got out of the car. He gave a curious _sniff_, one I hadn't heard before. It gave me chills. After a second one, I realised he was sniffing Mitchell's friend.

"So the rumours are true," he said softly. "You are working with a wolf."

"We don't work together. We're friends." The words came out of Mitchell's mouth with anger. His friend, however, did not seem angry. He held out a hand to Edward.

"Hi," he said sheepishly. "George."

Edward, with a moment's worth of caution, shook it. Deciding things were safe, I got out of the car and smiled at Mitchell's friend George. He smiled at me.

"Bella," I said quickly, shaking his hand as well. Then Edward said something strange. He extended his own hand, but to thin air. Then he shook it up and down, as if acquainting himself with an invisible person. At first, I thought he was mocking my gesture, but the handshake was too perfect an imitation.

"I'm Edward," he said, less stiffly than with Mitchell. "Pleased to meet you both."

That struck me as strange also. He'd met Mitchell before, and he definitely wasn't pleased to meet him again. And Edward had looked in the direction of the hand he'd shaken when he'd said it.

I looked in the same direction as he had, and stared hard. Was there something there? It was like there was a shape, as if one you'd see in the corner of your eye.


	3. Chapter 3

Annie stared at the girl curiously, wondering why she was staring right through her. Then Edward snapped his fingers, as if the world's largest penny had dropped.

"Bella's human," he explained quickly.

"Oh," said George. He, Annie and Mitchell looked at each other, wondering instantly what a vampire was doing with a human.

"Right!" said George, smiling. "Sorry, Bella, this is Annie. You can't see her. She's…well…dead."

"Like a vampire? I can see vampires."

"Not a vampire," said Mitchell patiently. "A ghost. A human ghost."

Bella's eyes widened. "Really?" She put her hand through Annie and both of them felt a cold chill. She drew back in horror. Annie, remembering the notepad and pen George had bought at the airport, took it out of his pocket and wrote a note. She passed it to Bella, who looked suitably horrified at it floating in the air, like rubbish caught in the wind.

_Don't worry. Takes a bit of getting used to._

Bella smiled weakly and nodded, trying her best to wave in the right direction.

"So vampires can see ghosts?"

"And werewolves," said George quietly.

"You're a _werewolf?" _asked Bella, remembering Edward calling George a wolf.

"We'd better move," said Edward. He had read the mind of the motel receptionist, who had been staring at the five (or, as he thought, four) since they had assembled. The receptionist, a paranoid man by the name of Dave Harper, was wondering if the people in the parking lot were merely dealing drugs or something more sinister. Edward couldn't tell how long it would be before Harper called the police, but he didn't want to stick around.

The rent-a-car, an attractive looking Buick, followed Edward's Volvo all the way to the Cullen house. Mitchell felt a brief sense of foreboding when he approached; the Cullens were his last hope, and the first he had met so far would not think too poorly of killing him.

The house itself looked superb. It was curiously modern for the deep-forest surroundings. Most vampires, himself included at one point, chose to live in places without much light. But the Cullen house had many windows and even the dim light now shone in.

"Nice place," he said softly.

"Thanks," said Edward, stiffly but without hostility.

"Definitely is," said George, enthusiastically. Edward smiled. He'd been able to read George's mind much easier than Mitchell's, and while he hadn't found anything about why the three of them were here, he got a lot of goodness from George. Annie, as well.

* * *

"That's…"

Esme cut off, speechless. She and Carlisle sat silently at the kitchen table. The rest of the Cullens were sat down, hearing Mitchell's story. George had told the last part, about the death of the Herrick I had heard so much about. Annie, the ghost, had filled in some of the details and Edward was whispering her words in my ear.

"…Touching," she finished.

"That's a lie," said Rosalie hotly. "It's ridiculous. Maybe the wolf _did _kill Herrick. But who's to say he's not just one of Mitchell's lackeys, sent to topple Herrick so he could take over the coven over there? Whatever God-forsaken corner of Britain it is."

"Bristol," said George, somewhat indignantly.

"I can read George," said Edward softly.

"The _wolf,_" said Rosalie, as if correcting him.

"I can read _George. _Annie too, although the lines are blurred because she's…"

A faint whisper in the air, as if a response, and he nodded. "Dead. Yes. But I read them. They weren't lying when they told their parts of the story."

"Maybe they weren't," said Jasper, quietly. "We've got no quarrel with the two of you. But there might be an ulterior motive here."

"I mean, what's the alternative?" said Rosalie, her voice raised. "A werewolf, a ghost and a vampire decide to live like humans do?"

"They get jobs, a house, and a TV license," said George whimsically, but he then flinched as if remembering where those words had come from, and not liking it.

"It's ridiculous," repeated Rosalie.

A slightly louder whisper in the place Annie was supposedly standing. Rosalie glowered, and Edward raised his eyes and shook his head.

"I won't translate that," he said.

"Look," said Mitchell for seemingly the first time in hours. "I'm not asking for you to do anything that would put you into danger. I know I don't have any right to ask for favours."

"What exactly _are _you asking for?" Edward asked.

"I'd like you to plead my case to the Volturi."

There was that word again. _Volturi. _I'd already forgotten about it from last week. I was sure I would forget it again completely, like in a few weeks when Edward would mention them. I would have no knowledge of their name, thus saving the author the lengthy task of evading the large plot hole he's dug for himself.

"And why would we do that?"

"Herrick's dead," Mitchell said simply. "So is Seth. The old order have drifted away. The Bristol coven is finished. All I want is to live in peace with my friends. No more fighting. No more vampire politics."

"No," said Carlisle, suddenly. "We don't want to go anywhere near the Volturi. _Especially _for an enemy of the coven."

"I don't want to beg you," said Mitchell. "Not for old times' sake, or anything like that. And I won't use my friends as an excuse. The Volturi don't know them. It's only me."

"You're honest, at least." Carlisle gave a furtive look around. I saw his eyes catch mine, and they moved on quick. "You're staying at a motel, right?"

"Just about two miles out. We've got a rent-a-car."

"Come back and see us tomorrow," he said, exchanging a glance with Esme. She suddenly nodded, secretly. "You might want to get some sleep. You've had a long flight. Come round and see us about midday?"

"Midday." Mitchell nodded.

"Until then, I guess you're welcome to stay for dinner." The smile had been a thin one, and more addressed to George and (apparently) Annie instead of Mitchell. "You should take a ride into town as well. Enjoy the sights of the Pacific North West."

* * *

George yawned as Mitchell parked the Buick back up at the Cullen house. It had been a long night. They had stayed for dinner, and had gone to a bar within walking distance of their motel. Dave Harper had given them a suspicious look as they had left their motel that morning, heading to downtown Forks. They had browsed the shops, Mitchell keeping a close eye on his watch. He wanted to make sure they were not late.

They were welcomed in by Carlisle and Esme alone. Both had taken time off work for this meeting, and looked solemn. They sat at the window overlooking the woods.

"I wish we could have gone over this last night," said Carlisle carefully. "But we'd rather not worry Bella by bringing this up in front of her. It concerns her…pretty deeply."

"It's no problem," said Mitchell, sipping his coffee.

"Not too long ago, a nomad coven came to Forks. They'd been travelling all over America, feeding." Carlisle looked up at Mitchell, as if accusingly.

"I'm clean," said Mitchell, somewhat defensively.

"So you say," said Carlisle softly. But he didn't labour on the point. "They came to Forks, and their leader, James, sniffed out Bella pretty quick. He decided to hunt her, so Edward had to kill him. Now, his mate Victoria has been seen in the forests at night."

"You think she's after revenge?"

"We're sure of it. Edward kills her mate so she kills his."

"An eye for an eye," said George quietly.

"Exactly. So, you can see why we haven't told Bella yet."

Mitchell nodded. "I think I know what you're asking here. But don't forget, I'm _different _to you. I can't run as fast. My senses aren't as strong."

"You're right," said Carlisle. "But there's a full moon within the next few days."

Annie, George and Mitchell looked at each other, and came to a horrendous realisation.

"No," said Mitchell firmly. "George has already…already killed to save me once. He's not going to do it again."

Carlisle nodded, and turned to George. "From what my family have read of you, you're completely innocent in all this. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But for my family to plead for the life of a killer of a coven leader is a huge risk for us. We need to have something in return."

George looked horrified. He was silent for a few moments, remembering Herrick's death again. After what seemed like a minute, Mitchell spoke.

"You're not doing it, George. You shouldn't have come in the first place. I can't ask you to do this again."

"I owe you, Mitchell. And besides, if we don't kill this…what's her name, Victoria? She might kill someone else."

"Anything I can do?" asked Annie. "I mean, I can't do the…you know, the gnashing and the clawing and the killing too well, but I can throw stuff!"

Esme smiled. "Everyone in the coven has a function." She turned to face the three. "What do you say? Will you become members of the Olympia coven, at least until Victoria isn't a problem anymore?"

Mitchell turned to George. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure."

Mitchell nodded. "Okay. We accept with thanks."

* * *

"I guess it all started at school," I said, casually. "He saved me from being run over. Asked too many questions and found out the truth."

I was sitting with George and, apparently, Annie, in Charlie's house. They'd been around a few times while Mitchell stayed with the rest of the Cullens. I didn't know what they were doing, and didn't think Edward would be too open in telling me. George and Annie seemed to be around my place more since the other day when they had come round for dinner. Part of me had the impression they were watching over me, but against what?

"Does it still occasionally freak you out?" asked George, inclining his head to indicate a question from Annie.

"Sometimes," I replied, smiling. "Edward and his family do their best to keep it from being weird."

"Vampires for in-laws must still be pretty hard to get used to." No incline of the head this time.

"I guess."

"I didn't exactly get a good baptism with them. Having your head kicked in doesn't exactly give you confidence."

"Do you ever wonder about if Mitchell hadn't come along?" I asked, remembering the story he had told.

"Yeah. Just a dead werewolf to them. Mitchell's a rare breed. But I think the Cullens are as well."

"How did you die, Annie?" I asked, quickly adding, "If it's okay for me to ask."

George wrinkled his nose. "It's kind of an unpleasant story. Some people are just bastards." Changing the subject, he asked, "Would you want to be turned? To a vampire, I mean."

I shrugged. "Edward's totally against it. He won't even talk about it. He says he doesn't want to curse me."

* * *

"I just know our condition too well to subject Bella to it, I guess," said Edward. He walked through the woods with Mitchell, waiting for dusk. The others were exploring further along. "I wouldn't want to take her humanity."

Mitchell nodded. He'd gotten considerably closer to Edward and the rest of the coven in the last few days. Only Emmet and Rosalie were still openly hostile to him.

"I know what you mean. There's something tragic about taking their life away. I had a girlfriend in the sixties, Josie. I could have turned her. Instead, I left her human. She withered and got old, but…she was human, you know?"

Edward smiled sadly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Our kind has to drink, even if it's livestock. But yours…it's all or nothing. You can drink from humans, and that's it. Once you go clean…"

"The cravings?" Mitchell nodded solemnly. "Always there. Sometimes it hurts too much to bear. All I have to do is see blood, and my ears start pounding."

"Jasper is having more problems than the rest of us. He's the latest vegetarian."

"It's a tough road, for all vampires. Your type or mine."

"Hey," said Alice, speeding towards them from a clearing. "She's on the move."

Mitchell stood while Edward tore off in Alice's direction. He knew his function. If the others could lead Victoria to him, he could cut her off as she passed.

Alice and Edward ran together, catching onto the trail led by Jasper and Emmet. They could sense her ahead, and occasionally saw a flash of red hair through the trees. She could sense their presence as she ran, sprinting through the trees. They wouldn't stop her. Her self preservation would prevent that.

She was going to kill the girl. Not now, but soon. The rest of the Cullens as well. The newborns would rise and she would lead them. She would run closer and closer to Forks, and they would have no way to stop her.


	4. Chapter 4

Mitchell arrived just after eleven to pick up George and Annie. This interesting scenario occurred another night, seemingly under Charlie's nose. From what George had said, it was just me and Annie tomorrow. He was going to do something with the rest of the Cullens, although he shrugged enigmatically when I asked what.

I liked George, and if he was translating her words properly, Annie too. I'd never met anyone from Britain before, and they seemed different to the stereotypes. George was geeky but seemed like a nice guy. But he'd been…different tonight. He'd been more active, more alert.

When Edward took me to school, I came and asked him what was going on. There had been something building for the last few days. I knew Mitchell was here for _something _but I wasn't too sure.

"It's nothing, really. Mitchell's been more involved in…our world than we have. He's been giving us news."

"You're lying to me," I said, resentfully. "And George?"

"What about him?"

"He's with you tonight. What news can _he _give you?"

"What night is it, tonight?" he asked, impatiently. Seeing me shrug, he continued, "It's a full moon. George needs to transform safely. We're going to give him space in the woods."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

I let it drop. I fell silent, staring out of the window at the road around us.

* * *

Mitchell shivered as he crossed the street to the dark figure standing at the crossing. It was a cold, windy night in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin. The small town was far enough away from Green Bay to count as the middle of nowhere, but large enough to not be a one horse town.

But it _was _cold. Herrick had told him that the state was on the Great Lakes, and on the border of Canada. He'd felt the wind as soon as he'd touched down. The town was pleasant enough, and the few locals he'd shared a conversation with said the 1960s had turned the whole place upside down.

"Hello, Mitchell," said the figure as he approached the crossing. A shark's smile was flashed, and the words were full of scorn and hidden contempt. Herrick's pet stood in the mist of the evening, regarding him as one would a slug.

"Seth."

"Our friends are in place. They want to play with us? We'll show them."

"All ready, then?"

An ugly smile, mixed with a sneer. "Always ready, Mitchell. I know it and Herrick knows it. Don't know about you!"

"I'm not here for a pissing contest," Mitchell replied coldly. "Where's Rosalie?"

"Should be coming down this way in _juust _a few minutes. She's heading home."

Mitchell snapped out of his vision as he stared out of the window onto the woods. He spun around, sweat trickling down his forehead. He heard George in the other rooms, talking to Alice in a low voice. He could tell that he was close to transforming by the tone of his voice, and it unnerved him.

Rosalie Cullen walked by briefly. She took a single look at Mitchell, and walked by without a word.

"Rosalie?" he called out, softly.

A head appeared, with eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I never apologised. To you, I mean. I was a different person then."

"I know," she replied softly. "You've shown that, I guess. I would have never let you into the house, but…"

She trailed off. Mitchell nodded, offering a faint smile. Slowly, she continued. "If we can get Victoria tonight, I guess that puts us even."

Mitchell saw George outside. He was bare chested, ready for transformation. The sight of him unnerved Mitchell.

"George, you really don't have to do this," he said, desperately. "My problem. I don't want you to…kill again."

"We've got this far. Come on! Twice won't hurt me." George's voice was scared, and his features strained. This was the last thing he wanted to do, and Mitchell imagined that another spell of bad dreams would do him permanent damage.

"You _hate _your condition!"

Carlisle and Esme spoke briefly, and Carlisle stepped forward. "Alice, drive George down to the warehouse on 4th and Nehalem. Lock the doors."

"What's going on?" George said, a ferocious quality to his voice. His eyes were looking less human now.

"Quickly!"

They both got into the car, Alice driving away at speed. Mitchell, Rosalie, Edward and Jasper looked at Carlisle. Mitchell looked relieved, the others puzzled.

"He's killed once. You don't have to read minds to see he isn't ready to do so again."

"But we haven't caught Victoria," said Mitchell.

"That doesn't matter," said Esme. "You've changed. We just saw that. That's all we needed to know."

"Let's get after them," said Jasper. "Make sure nothing goes wrong."

* * *

"What's death like?" I asked, handing back the notebook that had been scrawled on all night. I felt a brief shiver as the pen became animated, writing something on a fresh page. There was just one sentence on it.

"Men with sticks and rope?" I asked, the sentence chilling me even more. "What does that mean?"

I wish I knew was the written response. Below it was written, Hey, do you have a video camera?

"Sure, why?"

We can be caught on film. Heard as well.

Excited, I searched around in my bedroom and found a Handycam Charlie had gotten me for Christmas last year. I switched it on and scanned around the room. When I saw the girl sitting on a beanbag, I cried out. She was mixed race, tall and pretty. I don't know what I expected for Annie, but this wasn't it.

She smiled and waved. "Can't believe I've been here three nights and I never remembered this."

"Wow," I said shortly. "Not sure what I was expecting."

"I know, right? Well, at least you haven't freaked out. That's what most people do. When I'm visible, all's good, but when I'm invisible and I move stuff around? It's all like, _Aaagh! _And _Eurgghhh!" _She raised her hands and made a face, then laughed.

"That must be interesting. Being a…ghost."

Annie nodded. "There's not a lot I can't do. Except…well, you know, eat, drink, sleep…"

"Nothing too serious, then?" I asked, grinning.

Carlisle headed out to the car, lifting his suitcase effortlessly. He paused briefly to look around, and then loaded it into the car. The Buick was in front, ready to be returned before everyone bundled into Carlisle's car for the final trip. George sat in the back, Annie in the passenger seat.

"So you're going straight to Italy?" said Mitchell, opening the door for him. "Thanks, Carlisle. I really appreciate it. But…"

"But why?" Carlisle smiled. "Our kind needs help. We need to move away from the old ways. Killing. Hunting humans. Violence. Our kind are…well, some are coming around. But your kind can't survive like we can, it's all or nothing. And some are finding it hard to break the habit."

"It's pretty much unheard of."

"Now, we've realised that you're different. You have a wolf as a friend. You're not part of Herrick's coven anymore."

"Neither's Herrick," said Mitchell, smiling.

"But, yeah. Seeing you and George last night brought it home. There'll be plenty of time to hunt Victoria on our own time."

"Okay," said Mitchell. "Thanks. And, hey, if you ever need anything from us in return…" He took a scrap of paper from his leather jacket and wrote an address on it. "That's our address in Bristol."

"Thanks."

Alice waved from the door. "Be careful now! You know what they say about dogs and hot cars!"

"That is _racist!_" said George indignantly, but he grinned.

"Bye!" said Esme, who stood at the door as well. Gradually, the rest of the Cullens came out and waved the two cars off.

**The End! Hope you enjoyed!**


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